Eyewitness Travel Phrase Book: Japanese (Paperback)

by DK Publishing (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Featuring pronunciation, a menu guide, a mini-dictionary, hotel information, and emergency phrases.

"Heya ga ari-mass ka?" (Do you have any vacancies?) Believe it or not, you're speaking Japanese. That's just how easy it is for you in this immensely practical phrase book. Beginning with a simple imitated pronunciation feature, this book offers practical Japanese words and phrases printed in a modified version of the standard system of romanization--the way Japanese characters are written in our alphabet. In addition, there is a superb overview of "Cross-Cultural Notes" detailing basic etiquette and social customs, as well as listings of commonly used Japanese words and phrases that appear on hotel, traffic, and airport signs, and those typically found on menus. Highly accessible and easy to use, this convenient phrase book allows you to travel with confidence throughout Japan. Whether you're trying to order dinner or get back to your hotel, you cannot make your way without knowing what to say, and the Eyewitness Travel Guide Phrase Books are the perfect guide for tongue-tied tourists. These compact, user-friendly books fit right into your pocket or purse, and meet the communications needs of the tourist and business traveler alike. Based on an innovative system of imitated pronunciation, phrases are organized into logical and practical divisions, including time; food and drink; air travel; bus, taxi, and subway information; shopping; health and medical care; and much more. Typical replies to questions you may be asked, as well as signs and instructions you're likely to see or hear, are also given. The guides also include a carefully selected mini-dictionary, and useful conversion tables translating distance, clothing sizes, and weight.

Language Notes
Text: English, Japanese

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; Revised edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789441853
• ISBN-13: 978-0789441850
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,788,916 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GOOD FOR BEGINNERS, March 12, 2002

By	STEVE MILLER (Honolulu, Hawaii) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eyewitness Phrase Book: Japanese (with cassette) (Paperback)

This book has a lot words in Japanese that you will have to know when visiting a country that speaks the language. If you mispronounce words from the book while speaking to someone, don't worry, they will correct your pronunciation and anunciation. I highly recommend that you get audio tapes so you can not only learn the tranlations from English to Japanese, but you can learn to pronounce them correctly as well. I am currently on a seven month deployment in Okinawa, Japan, as an Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps. This book has been a great help and it is small enough to stick in your pocket and read later when you are waiting for an appointment, etc. The trick to learning words from this books is to learn a little at a time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Start, May 18, 2007

By	Power Popper (Kansas City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese (Eyewitness Travel Guide Phrase Books) (Paperback)

Having been to Japan a few times, and exposed to the sound of the language, I can very well see how helpful this nice, concise volume is, and how well the phonetics work. It was well thought out regarding the most common and useful words and phrases, the portability, the division of contents. An easy learning guide, and great to pull and peruse on a short train jaunt.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great phrase book to get you by on a short stay in Japan, November 14, 2007

By	L. Wolfraim (Germantown, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Japanese (Eyewitness Travel Guide Phrase Books) (Paperback)

I found this little Japanese phrase book came in handy during typical everyday situations- dining, asking for directions, greeting people. Useful phrases are grouped by context (situation) which makes it easier to quickly locate the correct expression. Pronunciation guide was good but could be improved. Overall, I would recommend this small phrase book to any English speaker who plans on a short visit to Japan (e.g. on a busniness trip).